Truck kills Lagos dispatch rider, driver flees

A fully loaded HOWO diesel tanker marked, RBC 38 XF, on Wednesday crashed into a dispatch rider under the Cele Bridge corridor of the Apapa–Oshodi Expressway. The rider died instantly.

Security reports indicated that the rider was trapped underneath the tanker which crashed into the dispatch motorcycle, causing and died instantly.

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) through Adebayo Taofiq, its spokesman said immediately after the incident, LASTMA personnel stationed along the axis cordoned off and secured the crash site.

“This swift intervention was undertaken to forestall secondary collisions and to safeguard other commuters navigating the busy expressway.

“The offending tanker was impounded by LASTMA officials, although the driver absconded upon perceiving the gravity of the incident,” Adebayo said in a statement.

He added that operatives of the Ijesha Police Division arrived to reinforce security and assume investigative responsibility in line with established protocols as the deceased rider, impounded tanker and the damaged motorcycle were handed over to the Police.

“The remains of the deceased after being professionally secured from underneath the tanker was thereafter conveyed by the police to a morgue in Yaba.

“The General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, describing the incident as deeply distressing.

“He urged the Police to pursue a comprehensive inquiry into the root cause of the crash and ensure that justice is served in accordance with the law,” Adebayo added